State Capitol, Senate office projects move forward

Renovation work on the State Capitol is shifting from interior wall demolition and abatement to roof, mechanical and electrical upgrades. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz)

Construction in and around the State Capitol complex looks to heat up in 2014.

For starters, the $272.7 million makeover of the 108-year-old Minnesota State Capitol is transitioning into a new phase, as work moves from interior wall demolition and abatement to roof, mechanical and electrical upgrades.

And planning is moving forward for a proposed $90 million Senate office building project just north of the Capitol, despite a lawsuit seeking to stop the work on the grounds that the project didn’t go through the proper legislative channels.

As for the Capitol, the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission is scheduled to meet Jan. 21 to approve work packages “2 and 2A,” which include roof repair and replacement, mechanical and electrical equipment installation, and removal of concrete floors slabs.

Roof repairs are expected to start in May, said Wayne Waslaski, director of the Minnesota Department of Administration’s Real Estate and Construction Services division.

“We are doing some lead abatement work at the moment,” Waslaski said. “For the most part, demolition has been completed.”

The multiphase project, scheduled to be completed in late 2016 or early 2017, addresses a host of deficiencies in the Cass Gilbert-designed building, including outdated and inefficient systems, crumbling stone, and lack of accessibility.

Planning is moving forward for a proposed $90 million Senate office building project just north of the Capitol. (Submitted rendering)

The Department of Administration is seeking $126.3 million from the 2014 legislature to continue work on the Capitol, the final piece of funding to complete the top-to-bottom overhaul.

JE Dunn is the construction manager, and HGA is the design firm for the project, which includes four work packages. The first package was approved last year. The third and fourth packages are expected to be out for bid in late spring and fall, respectively.

The third work package involves additional mechanical and electrical work, with a focus on portions of the system that branch throughout the building, said Curt Yoakum, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Administration.

Finishing work is covered in the fourth and final bid package.

Waslaski said design development is up for approval at the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission’s Feb. 10 meeting.

Meanwhile, planning for the Senate office building north of the Capitol is advancing, despite the pending lawsuit filed in October by former state legislator Jim Knoblach.

The project was approved in the 2013 legislative session after it was a late insert into an omnibus tax bill, a process that didn’t sit well with some legislators, who believe the project is too costly and wasn’t properly vetted.

During the 2014 legislative session, which begins Feb. 25, the House and Senate rules committees will review the project. No dates for those committee hearings have been scheduled.

“It was written into legislation that they would have approval over design and budget estimates,” Yoakum said of the committees.

The project team has looked at mechanicals, landscaping and other things to bring down the cost, according to Yoakum.

“They are also benchmarking this building against comparable public buildings, and more importantly private-sector buildings, to make sure the design and costs are in line with comparable buildings,” Yoakum said.

In September, as reported by Finance & Commerce, Golden Valley-based Mortenson Construction and St. Paul-based BWBR Architects were selected to build and design the 154,700-square-foot Senate building.

The building, scheduled for completion in 2015, will house office space for senators and their staffers, and large hearing rooms. It will be constructed on a surface parking lot bounded by University Avenue, Park Street, Sherburne Avenue and Capitol Boulevard.

Also in the 2014 legislative session, the Department of Administration will request $8.82 million for design of a planned $94.3 million multiyear makeover of the State Office Building, a 1930s-era structure across the road from the Capitol.

The project would start in 2017 and carry through to 2020, Waslaski said.

The Jan. 21 and Feb. 10 commission meetings are both scheduled for 10 a.m. on those dates at the governor’s reception in the State Capitol.

One comment

With the St. Paul office market vacancy at a “stabilized” 20%, why doesn’t the government lease some space? Oh, I forgot … they are special and can spend millions on a new building, since they deserve it and are so frugal.